HD in HD From $300M to $1B in Revenue: How Navan Scaled Travel Tech to 50+ Countries (Ariel Cohen)
Jun 30, 2025
Ariel Cohen, the co-founder and CEO of Navan, shares his inspiring journey in the travel tech industry. He discusses the challenges of scaling Navan globally, including adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ariel reflects on how raising kids fueled his motivation and highlights his chatbot's role in reducing travel costs. He explores the ongoing debate around AI potentially replacing travel agents and the importance of human connections in an increasingly digital world. His insights provide a fresh perspective on entrepreneurship and industry resilience.
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Embrace Rejection to Start
- To start a startup, be prepared to knock on many doors and face lots of rejection.
- Accept hearing 'no' frequently as part of the journey toward success.
Scrappy Early Startup Days
- Ariel Cohen shared the startup grind where he and his co-founders worked tirelessly in a small room, with their wives helping with QA on weekends.
- They even flew drones inside the office for fun, showing the scrappy yet passionate early startup culture.
Travel Industry's Complex Infrastructure
- The travel industry is a complex supply chain with many licensing and partnership requirements.
- Aging tech infrastructure makes innovation and scale challenging in corporate travel.